Stäerzelen (Buckwheat Dumplings): A Taste of Luxembourg

Soft and pillowy, Stäerzelen are little spoonful-sized dumplings traditional to Luxembourg. They're made quickly and simply from buckwheat flour and water cooked in an unusual way. These deliciously nutty little bites make an excellent side dish or a comforting main dish when you add a bit of bacon and hot milk. (Skip to recipe.)

This month for our Eat the World recipe challenge, we head to the tiny gem hidden in the middle of Europe - Luxembourg. This charming little country is actually officially the 'Grand Duchy of Luxembourg', with Luxembourg City as its capital. It is the richest country in Europe, but only has a population of a little more than six hundred thousand people. Luxembourg is bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has three official languages: Luxembourgish (a West Germanic language), French, and German, and its cuisine is mainly a fusion of French and German. This little country boasts over a 100 castles and a richness of stunning and picturesque scenery. Oh, yes, it is on my list to see!

In my digging down internet rabbit holes looking for a Luxembourgish dish to try, I came across a type of dumpling that had me mesmerized - Stäerzelen - a typical dish of the Ösling peasants in the Ardennes Mountains in the northern part of Luxembourg. These plump little scraps of dumpling have a rustic charm and a wonderful texture - soft and pillowy. The flavour is rich and nutty; they're great served just with butter, but also make a grand base for melting cheese or any of your favourite sauces. If this is peasant food - I wanna be a peasant!

The name of these hearty buckwheat dumplings comes from the word stäerzel, meaning 'a spoonful', and refers to how the dumplings are shaped by scooping out spoonfuls of the dough. The dough is made simply from buckwheat flour, salt, and water, but the technique is unusual in that you cook the dough first, then form the dumplings from it - no need to boil the dumplings in water. They're so quick to make! The dough cooks in less than a minute, and you just have to scoop and shape the dumplings and they're ready to eat.

In Luxembourg Stäerzelen are often served mounded on a plate, poured over with hot milk or cream, and strewn with cooked bacon or speck. Toothsome and delicious.

What's the Buzz About Buckwheat?

These little buckwheat dumplings are not only soft and tender and totally tasty - they're amazingly good for you, too - because they're made with buckwheat flour. This underdog of a food is loaded with many health benefits. Buckwheat actually has no wheat in it - it's the seed of a plant related to rhubarb and sorrel - a pseudocereal since it's used like a grain, but it's not a grain at all. This tasty little seed is high in antioxidants (like rutin, catechin, and quercetin) a very good source of fiber and other essential nutrients, and is a complete protein (6 grams per cup of cooked buckwheat groats).

Buckwheat has been grown and used for centuries in Asia and Eastern Europe, but is not commonly used in the west. I think it's time to change that. Buckwheat flour is a great gluten free flour alternative, and the groats (called kasha if they're roasted) are a deliciously nutty addition in soups, salads, casseroles, and as a side dish.

 

Making Stäerzelen Buckwheat Dumplings - as Easy as 1-2-3

These little dumplings only need buckwheat flour and butter, plus water and a little salt. And they go so quickly that it's best to have everything ready and measured before you start.

First, boil the water and salt. Then dump in the buckwheat flour in a stream very quickly and stir like crazy with a wooden spoon.

It will instantly turn into a thick, stiff mass. Keep stirring until all the flour is incorporated and . . . tada! . . . the dumpling dough is done.

Now take a spoon, dip it into melted butter (or any kind of fat), and scoop out a spoonful (a stäerzel) of dough.

Shape it roughly with your fingers if it's too raggedy. Repeat 'til the dough is used up.

And they're done.

Keep the dumplings warm in a skillet and pour over the rest of the melted butter. Stäerzelen are soft and pillowy, rich-tasting and a little nutty. A fantastic side dish.

If you want to serve them as a main course, splash over a generous amount of hot milk or cream and add a handful of crumbled cooked bacon. Comfort in a bowl.

(Or think of them like gnocchi and serve them with your favourite sauce or top them with grated cheese to melt into the cracks and crannies.)

Leftover dumplings are delicious fried in butter the next day.

Hearty, delicious, AND good for you! I love eating like a Luxembourger!

* * * * *

Kitchen Frau Notes: These buckwheat dumplings can be made with light or dark buckwheat flour (the ones in the photos are made with light flour). If made with dark buckwheat flour, they will have more little dark flecks in them, but taste just as good.

I like this light buckwheat flour (not sponsored, just my personal preference).

Stäerzelen (Buckwheat Dumplings)

• 2½ cups (600ml) water
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 cups (300 gms) buckwheat flour (light or regular)
• ¼ cup (60ml) melted butter

optional, to serve:

• hot milk or cream
• crumbled cooked bacon (about 4 slices)

Bring the water and salt to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan. Set a skillet onto a neighboring stove burner turned to low heat (or have a heated bowl nearby).

Measure the buckwheat flour into a spouted pouring vessel or a bowl, so it's ready to add quickly to the water.

When the water comes to a boil, pour the buckwheat flour into the water quickly in a thick stream, while stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon with your other hand. The mixture will seize up and become thick almost instantly. Keep stirring the stiff ball of dough until all the flour is moistened. This will only take a few seconds. Reduce the burner heat to very low.

Use a metal teaspoon, dip it onto the melted butter, then scoop out a slightly heaped spoonful (a Stäerzel) of the dumpling dough. Shape the top of the dumpling with your fingers if it is quite ragged, but don't worry about being too precise. These dumplings are meant to be rustic. Plop the dumpling into the preheating skillet on the stovetop.

Keep scooping out dough and making more Stäerzelen, dipping the spoon into the butter each time, until you've used up all the dough.

Pour the remaining melted butter over the Stäerzelen. At this point they are ready to serve as a side dish, or you can turn the heat up a bit and sauté the buckwheat dumplings a bit more, flipping them gently, until some of them get lightly golden on some of their surfaces.

If preparing the Stäerzelen as a main dish, mound them in flat bowls and pour hot cream or milk over top, then sprinkle them with a handful of cooked, crumbled bacon or speck. Or top them with grated cheese or any of your favourite sauces.

Serves 4 as a side dish, or 2 as a main dish.

Guten Appetit!

 

Check out all the wonderful Luxembourg dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

Tara’s Multicultural Table: Kniddelen (Luxembourgish Dumplings)
Radha: Gromperekichelcher
Sugarlovespices: Luxembourg Sweet Love Pretzels
Palatable Pastime: Chicken in Riesling
Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Bouchée à la Reine (Vol-au-Vent)
Pandemonium Noshery: Bouneschlupp - Luxembourg Green Bean Soup
Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Bou’neschlupp
Kitchen Frau: Stäerzelen (Buckwheat Dumplings)
A Day in the Life on the Farm: Gromperekichelcher (Potato Pancakes)
Sneha’s Recipe: Gromperekichelcher-Luxembourg Potato Fritters
Making Miracles: Coq Au Riesling
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Check out my past ‘Eat the World’ Recipe Challenge posts:

(in alphabetical order)

• Argentina: Red Chimichurri Sauce
• Bangladesh: Chingri Masala (Shrimp Curry)
• Bulgaria: Patatnik (Savoury Potato and Cheese Pie)
• Cambodia: Noum Kong (Cambodian Rice Flour Doughnuts)
• Colombia: Pan de Yuca (Warm Cheese Buns)
• Egypt: Fava Beans and Feta
• England: Gluten Free Fish and Chips and Mushy Peas
• Ethiopia: Four Ethiopian Recipes for a Fantastic Feast
• Fiji: Spiced Sweet Potato and Banana Salad
• Finland: Lohikeitto (Creamy Salmon, Potato, and Dill Soup)
• France: Axoa d’Espelette (A Simple Stew from the Basque Country)
• Georgia: Charkhlis Chogi (Beets with Sour Cherry Sauce)
• Hungary: Túrós Csusza (Pasta Scraps with Cottage Cheese)
• India: Kerala Upma (Fluffy, Kerala Style Breakfast Upma Recipe)
• Iraq: Tepsi Baytinijan (Eggplant & Meatball Casserole)
• Ireland: Dublin Coddle (A tasty Sausage and Potato Stew)
• Israel: Cucumber, Feta, and Watermelon Salad
• Jamaica: Rice and Peas (Coconut Rice and Red Beans)
• Kenya: Maharagwe with Ugali (Red Beans with Cornmeal Slice)
• Laos: Ping Gai (Lao Grilled Chicken Wings)
• Mexico: Cochinita Pibil Tacos (Pit Barbecued Pig to Make in Your Oven)
• Netherlands: Boerenkool Stamppot (Kale-Potato Mash with Sausages & Pears)
• New Zealand: Classic Pavlova
• Poland: Polish Honey Cake
• Portugal: Tuna and Sardine Pâtés
• Puerto Rico: Piña Colada Cocktail
• Senegal: Mafé (Beef and Peanut Stew)
• Sudan: Peanut Butter Creamed Spinach & Peanut Meringue Cookies
• Sweden: Swedish Meatballs with Cream Gravy
• Switzerland (Christmas): Basler Leckerli Cookies
• Thailand: Shrimp Laksa (Khung)
• Trinidad & Tobago: Peanut Butter Prunes
• Ukraine: Buckwheat Kasha with Beef
• United States (Soul Food): Smothered Pork Chops
• Vietnam: Caramelized Pork Rice Bowls